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Featured Stories

Dive into the world of science! Read these stories and narratives to learn about news items, hot topics, expeditions underway, and much more. Use an RSS reader, browser extension, or software to get updates when new Featured Stories are posted.

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June 23, 2020 Oaxaca, Mexico Earthquake

June 23, 2020 Oaxaca, Mexico Earthquake

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck offshore Oaxaca, Mexico, on June 23, 2020, at 11:30 a.m. ET. Seismic instruments indicate the earthquake originated...

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Great Outdoors Month: Exploring the Waters

Great Outdoors Month: Exploring the Waters

Now that June is upon us, it’s Great Outdoors Month! So why not stream some Nature instead of Netflix? Speaking of streams, maybe you’re thinking of...

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USGS Maps Will Help You Explore the Great Outdoors

USGS Maps Will Help You Explore the Great Outdoors

Updated USGS digital topographic maps feature more trails to help you explore and navigate the Great Outdoors.

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Critical Minerals in the EEZ

Critical Minerals in the EEZ

For centuries, people have crossed oceans in search of valuable minerals. In recent times, though, increasing attention has been paid to the oceans...

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The USGS is Ready to Respond During the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season

The USGS is Ready to Respond During the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1, and the U.S. Geological Survey is prepared to provide science that can help guide efforts to protect...

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USGS Scientists Find Seafloor Faults Near Puerto Rico Quakes’ Epicenters

USGS Scientists Find Seafloor Faults Near Puerto Rico Quakes’ Epicenters

Most residents of southern Puerto Rico were startled by the sequence of earthquakes that began Dec. 28, 2019 and included a magnitude 6.4 quake on Jan...

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USGS Brown Treesnake Research Continues at Guam National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Brown Treesnake Research Continues at Guam National Wildlife Refuge

On May 14, Director Reilly signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of the Navy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The MOA provides...

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M6.5 Monte Cristo Range Earthquake

M6.5 Monte Cristo Range Earthquake

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck near Tonopah, Nevada, near the California-Nevada border and about 120 miles southeast of Carson City, early this...

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Mount St. Helens’ 1980 Eruption Changed the Future of Volcanology

Mount St. Helens’ 1980 Eruption Changed the Future of Volcanology

If scientists armed with today's monitoring tools and knowledge could step back in time to the two months before May 18, 1980, they would have been...

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USGS Responds to Spring Flooding

USGS Responds to Spring Flooding

U.S. Geological Survey field crews are measuring flooding across the country as spring weather is in full swing. Warming temperatures, increased...

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Magnitude 5.4 Earthquake Felt in Puerto Rico

Magnitude 5.4 Earthquake Felt in Puerto Rico

On May 2, 2020, a  magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck about 4 miles offshore of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico, at a depth of about 5-6 miles (9 kilometers). This...
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History of Innovation Leads to Cutting-Edge Technique for Sampling Water Deep Within Kīlauea’s Volcanic Crater

History of Innovation Leads to Cutting-Edge Technique for Sampling Water Deep Within Kīlauea’s Volcanic Crater

This month marks the second anniversary of the largest rift zone eruption and summit collapse at Kīlauea Volcano in 200 years. In 2018, scientists at...

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